This disclosure is directed to a turbine vibrator having a rotatable turbine wheel located within a housing, and in particular to a turbine vibrator having gas outlet ports in end caps attached to the housing and wherein the turbine wheel includes a plurality of teeth formed from an elastomeric material, the teeth being located on a cylindrical wall that encloses an eccentric weight.
Turbine vibrators are often used to vibrate structures such as railroad hopper cars to facilitate the flow of bulk material from the structure. Turbine vibrators include a rotatable turbine wheel located in a housing. The turbine wheel typically includes an eccentric weight and a plurality of metal teeth. A compressed gas, such as air, is fed through an inlet in the housing such that the flowing air interacts with teeth of the turbine wheel and causes the turbine wheel to rotate about a rotational axis. The rotation of the eccentric weight of the turbine wheel about the rotational axis produces a vibrational force that is transmitted to whatever structure the turbine vibrator is attached. The interaction of the flowing air with the teeth of the turbine wheel, and the exhausting of the air from the housing, often creates a high level of undesired noise.